SerpApi.Org
Dominik Szoboszlai's agent has opened up on rumors linking the player with Real Madrid following "complicated" contract negotiations with Liverpool.
The Hungarian playmaker penned a new deal to keep him at Anfield until 2031 despite his initial contract running until 2028. Fresh and improved terms were agreed between club and player and it put an end to speculation regarding his future.
La Liga giants Madrid was one club reportedly keeping a close eye on Szoboszlai's situation before the ink dried on his Reds extention and his representative, Matyas Esterhazi, has explained how that should only go to show the player's commitment to his club.
Rumors are part and parcel of football at the highest level and Esterhazi is adamant the new deal proves his client's loyalty to the Reds. Speaking to WinWinSports, Esterhazi said: “If you have a player like him, rumors about the big clubs are completely normal. As for his future, only he and I can speak formally.
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"Ultimately, he extended his contract and that says everything about what he wanted to do, because no one forced him to extend the contract.
“That was the player’s wish, and that says everything about what he was also thinking in the last period when everyone was talking about meaningless rumors, so, what happened in the last few days, that’s what Dominik wanted, and that’s clear.”
Asked to then discuss the contract negotiations behind the scenes, Esterhazi, who owns EM Sports Consulting, again reiterated that his player only wanted a Liverpool stay.
And he credited outgoing sporting director Richard Hughes for playing a significant role in ensuring a deal was signed despite the difficulties that came with doing so. “We started in October," he said. "The negotiations were long and quite complicated, but over the last six weeks the discussions became very positive. It was clear that everyone wanted to achieve the same goal, and from there we found the solutions that made everything easier.
“The main factor was always that the player wanted to stay and the club wanted to keep him.
"But, as you know, in this business you have to find common ground on every aspect of the deal, not only professionally but financially as well.
"We found a solution that we hadn’t been able to reach before.
“I think that, through a very high level of mutual respect, we found an excellent way to reach an agreement with sporting director Richard Hughes, and that’s what happened in the end.
"There was never any doubt that the player wanted to continue at Liverpool and that Liverpool wanted to keep him.
"But we had to find the right way to complete the deal.”
